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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · swing · hand · mine · firm · wind · patient · fall

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. swing — in golf
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. swing — music
  6. firm — decided
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fall — to drop
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mine — for digging
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. fall — the season
  17. hand — help
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wind — moving air
  23. swing — to play on
  24. firm — a company

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com